There has been a lot of talk lately about Spain’s situation regarding the Schengen Area due to the crisis caused by Morocco’s invasion of Ceuta on July 30. This city is part of Spain and serves as one of the borders with the Schengen Area, hence the concern of some countries, such as Italy. The risk of illegal immigrants reaching the rest of Europe is obvious.

The question is: has this affected the Schengen Area’s borders? Spain has not left the Schengen Area. What is happening is a specific crisis within the Schengen Area, primarily related to Italy and the migration situation in Ceuta.

Basically, the situation is as follows:

• Italy reintroduced border controls for travelers arriving from Spain following the massive influx of migrants into Ceuta in late July. Italy considers this to be an exceptional situation that justifies the controls.
• Spain responded by establishing temporary controls for passengers arriving from Italy by plane or boat. Initially, these were set to last until September 7, but they have now been extended until September 22, 2026.
• This does not mean that Spain has been expelled from the Schengen Area or that Schengen has been suspended for Spain. The rules allow a country, under exceptional circumstances, to reestablish controls at certain internal borders.
• The underlying issue is the crisis in Ceuta. On July 30 and 31, there was a mass influx from Morocco, and Spanish authorities and the National Court are investigating what happened.
• Brussels is involved: Spain is requesting more European support and a greater Frontex presence in Ceuta.

In summary, there is no general suspension of the Schengen Agreement for Spain.

What may be particularly affected right now are trips between Spain and Italy, where additional checks may be conducted. In addition, the European EES system has been fully operational for the past few days, with biometric checks for travelers from outside the EU, which is causing lines at some airports.

Everything indicates that the situation will soon return to normal and relations between the two countries will resume as usual.